The Tattoo
by Beertree
Summary: Here's the tale of how Scott Tracy nearly got married and ended up with a tattoo. Rated T for language just to be safe.


**AN: The idea for this story came from a discussion in early May on a TAG group on FB. The idea that Scott got married and had a tribal tattoo was thrown out as a joke and I thought it was a great idea for a silly story. It's taken so long to write because shortly after I started, I had an accident on my bike and ended up in the hospital. Once out, I was too drugged up and in a splint with a broken elbow and couldn't think let alone write. But I finally was able to get back to it and it's finished. Phew.**

Scott Tracy snapped awake totally alert. That was a good thing. The fact that he had no idea where he was or how he got there wasn't. He cracked an eyelid open and squinted in the bright sunlight that flooded the room. A moment later he recognized the ceiling above his head and sighed with relief. He was home, in his own bed. With that out of the way, he turned his thoughts to how he got there since his last clear memory was of flying Thunderbird 1 over the Pacific on the way to a rescue.

Less clear memories came back slowly: the rhythmic drums, chanting, heat, a terrible headache. His hand shot to his forehead and, sure enough, there was a large dressing encircling his head. So he'd hit his head but that didn't explain much else.

He pushed himself up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. The room spun and he quickly braced himself and waited it out. He must've hit his head pretty hard. Probably had a concussion, a pretty bad one apparently.

All that movement made his arm itch. Without thinking, he rubbed the offending area under his shirtsleeve. The yelp of pain was out of his mouth before he even realized his arm was painful. Clamping his lips tight against the urge to moan, he staggered to the dresser mirror and lifted the sleeve to look.

His blue eyes widened in horror. A tattoo? How could he be so out of it to not realize he was getting a tattoo? He peered more closely and grimaced. It was painfully red and swollen. Not good at all.

He was still inspecting it when the bedroom door open and his youngest brother, Alan, stuck his head in.

"I thought I heard you moving around in here. We didn't think you'd ever wake… hey, what's that?"

Scott quickly pulled his sleeve down hiding the blemish. "Nothing. Don't you ever knock?"

"Nope and it's definitely not nothing." Alan trotted across the room and reached for Scott's sleeve. "I wanna see."

Scott knocked Alan's hand away. "I said it was nothing."

"Oh, no, no, it's definitely something. You have guilty written all over your face. And when the great Scott Tracy looks like that, it is really something."

"I am not guilty of anything." Scott managed to look offended.

"Then you don't have anything to hide. Let me see."

"No."

"Yes!" Alan revealed why he was such a natural pilot. With lightning quickness, he reached past Scott's defenses and pulled his sleeve up.

"Alan!"

"Oh… wow, Scott." Alan's grin widened. "That's… that's amazing… amazingly gross." He poked it. "Does it hurt?"

"Ow! Hey! Yes, it hurts. Almost as much as my head and you're making that worse."

Alan managed to look a bit sorry. "Yeah, you got hit on the head pretty hard according to Virgil. He said you were delirious. Kept talking about getting married." He can't hold back a laugh. "Never knew you wanted to get married."

Scott frowned. "I don't. At least not now… maybe in the future… Why would I talk about that?"

His brother shrugged. "That's what Virgil said. You were out cold by the time he got you back." He poked at the tattoo again. "Man, this is great. I can't wait to tell everybody."

"Stop that. And you won't say anything, understand."

Alan smirked but before he could answer, the door opened again and their grandmother looked in. She frowned at Scott and practically scowled at Alan. "Alan, I told you not to bother Scott. Scott, you shouldn't be up. You took a hard knock to the head. You're lucky your skull wasn't fractured." She grinned despite the seriousness. "It's that hard Tracy head." She started to shoo Alan from the room.

"Everybody in the lounge, Grandma?" Alan asked innocently.

"Alan," Scott warned. "If you say anything, you'll regret it."

"What can you do?"

"I'll take Thunderbird 3 away and give it to Kayo. And you'll be flying the Tiger Moth to the next rescue."

"You wouldn't…" Alan managed to look worried.

Scott gazed at him levelly, arms folded across his chest. "Try me."

Alan sighed. "Okay, fine. My lips are sealed." He glanced at his grandmother. "I'm going." He started to shut the door firmly behind himself but was still muttering under his breath. "Nobody lets me do anything, couldn't go on the rescue mission, can't tell anybody about the cool tat. Sheesh…"

Grandma Tracy watched the exchange silently. When the door closed, she turned to Scott, eyebrows raised above her glasses frames. "First, before you explain what was going on, back to bed. I wasn't kidding about that hit to the head."

Scott nodded and winced. He trudged back to bed, suddenly exhausted.

"Now, what was that all about?"

Unable to meet her gaze, he lifted his sleeve and showed her the tattoo.

She blinked, took a deep breath and peered closely at it. Her surprise turned to worry and sympathy. "It looks infected, Scott, dear." Cocking her head, she looked at him over the top of her glasses. "I'm going to assume you didn't agree to this."

"Grandma, of course not. I don't even remember getting it. Believe me, I was just as surprised as you."

"Do you remember anything? The crash? The general mayhem and fleeing from an outraged population?"

"Crash?" He touched his head. "Is Thunderbird 1 okay? Did someone fly it home?" It was his turn to blink. "Fleeing?"

"It's okay now. Sorry to say, it was pretty beat up after you crash-landed it. We're still not exactly sure what happened and well, I'll let Virgil give you the details." She gently prodded the tattoo and nodded. "You're going to need an antibiotic and I'll have to order some tattoo fading ointment. I don't keep that on hand… Unless you want to keep it. It really is quite… unique."

Scott looked horrified at the suggestion. "Nooo! It's hideous and I'd never be free of Alan."

Grandma Tracy chuckled. "True, true." She touched his forehead with the inside of her wrist. *You're not feverish anymore. When you're feeling up to it, you should join your brothers in the living room."

He started to push her hand away, he did not like being treated like a child, instead he sighed and hugged her, accepting the warmth from her. "Thank you, Grandma, I feel better. I think that's what I'll do."

She grinned and patted his cheek and winked. "You'll never be too old, Scott." With that, she turned and left him to get dressed.

000

Five heads turned together when Scott entered the living room/control center of Tracy Villa. Scott paused in the doorway, a little surprised by the attention. Even John was present in the flesh, Kayo sitting next to him, rather closer than usual. "John, Grandma didn't say you were here."

John grinned and shrugged. "I wouldn't want to miss your homecoming, Scott."

"None of us wanted to miss it. We missed you," Gordon added, all seriousness for once.

"Wait…" He looked around at his brothers. Alan practically bouncing in his seat, Gordon leaning forward on his elbows, John slightly apart from the group but still close, Kayo's hand straying to John's, and Virgil sitting at the piano but back to the keyboard. "Wait… how long was I gone?"

Virgil answered, "Too long."

"It seemed like forever," Alan added.

John sighed. "I thought we'd lost you… Just like Dad." He looked down at his hands.

"But we didn't. You found him, John." Virgil left the piano to put a comforting arm around John's shoulder.

Scott stared at his brothers. "How long?"

"Three weeks," Gordon supplied.

"Three…," Scott blinked. "Weeks?"

Virgil gave Gordon quelling look. "Well, it felt like three weeks." Gordon corrected.

"It was only a week though Gordon is right. It felt much, much longer." Virgil grinned apologetically. "So how's the arm?"

Scott opened his mouth to answer but Alan interrupted. "What? You knew? And you didn't tell me?"

"Didn't think to tell you, Alan. We were kind of busy."

Alan harrumphed and glared at Virgil. "I'm always the last to know anything around here."

"It's fine… Does everybody know?"

Gordon smirked at Alan. "Yeah, now."

"And you know how I got it?"

Everybody but Alan nodded.

"Really? Really?" Alan asked, annoyed.

Scott ignored him. "Are you going to tell me?"

John and Virgil exchanged looks. John nodded and Virgil started.

000

The rain poured down so hard Virgil wondered if he'd wandered into a waterfall instead of the remnants of a hurricane. The downgrade from a one to tropical storm had come moments ago but neither he nor his brothers could tell the difference. The wind and rain seemed unchanged. Muddied and dripping, Virgil, Gordon and Scott trudged to their respective 'birds exhausted from digging a village out of a massive mudslide.

Virgil wiped moisture out of his eye and glanced down at the helmet in his other hand. It had kept his head dry but rain running off the faceplate had blocked his vision. He'd taken it off after he'd had to clear mud, leaves and water from it for the umpteenth time. It was either that or wipe water dripping from his hair. The latter was less time consuming. Gordon had abandoned his early and when his older brother had tossed his helmet aside, Virgil's decision had been made. Now the thing was a mess, filled with water and mud. Brains was going to have a fit.

Scott and Virgil stopped outside Thunderbird 2 and her open pod. Gordon steered the bulldozer up the ramp. Emergency lighting streamed out of the pod but the rain blurred it.

Virgil sighed and wiped his face again. "You might as well go on ahead, Scott, since you'll beat us home anyway. I'll help Gordy finish putting the equipment away and get there when we get there. Besides, you look exhausted."

"No worse than the two of you."

"You've been here longer…" A gust of wind blew more rain into their faces. "Ugh. Let's not argue over this right now."

"FAB," Scott managed a tired grin. "See you at home." He gave Virgil a sloppy salute and ran to Thunderbird 1, shaking his helmet out on the way.

Virgil watched One launch and disappear into the clouds and rain, shaking his head at his big brother, before turning to help his little brother load up. He barely blinked when the sky lit up with more lightning and thunder rumbled in the distance. They were all use to working in these conditions and it barely phased him.

Gordon was disassembling the bulldozer pod when Virgil joined him. The two of them made quick work of stowing the pieces and a few minutes later they were sitting in Two's cockpit, toweling off their hair and buckling in. "Thunderbird 5 from Thunderbird 2, we're ready to head out, John, how's the weather looking?"

John Tracy's pale blue hologram cast a creepy light over the cockpit. "It's not looking good, Thunderbird 2. There's another cell moving through and it's showing a lot of lightning and high winds. It'll pass over in half an hour. I recommend waiting it out."

"FAB, John. Gordon and I are pretty beat, we can grab a power nap. Let us know when to go. How's Scott doing? He left about 15 minutes ago."

"He's right in the middle of it, but he says he's good and is going to try and get above it."

"FAB. We'll expect your wake up call in 30." John nodded and blinked out. Virgil sighed, yawned and stretched. "I could sleep for a year."

Gordon grinned. "I could sleep for two." He lowered the back of his seat and closed his eyes. "But I'll make do with 30 minutes."

Virgil barely got his seat adjusted when Gordon began to snore. He gave his brother a fond look and closed his eyes. Not even the howling wind and thunder and lightning could keep him awake.

000

"Virgil! Gordon! Wake up!" It wasn't the words that penetrated the two men's sleep but the tone. John was on the verge of freaking out, an event so unusual that Virgil snapped awake instantly.

"John?" Virgil sat up and blinked at the hologram. John's expression made his heart sink into his belly. "What's wrong?" He glanced over to see Gordon staring wide-eyed at the image.

"I've lost him, Virgil."

"Lost who, John?" His brain caught up and he groaned. "You've lost Scott? Where, how? John, what happened?"

"Just like dad…"

"John! Stop! Talk to me!"

John winced just a little at Virgil's sharp tone. He shook his head, took a deep breath and rubbed his face. "Just like dad, Virgil. He's disappeared. One second he's there, gaining altitude and the next nothing. No GPS, no radio, nothing. Thunderbird 1 is completely gone."

Virgil and Gordon exchanged worried looks but they didn't panic. "John, send me his last position and we'll look for him. We'll find him."

With a nod, John went to work and seconds later the information appeared on Two's screens. "Okay, we're on our way, John. Take it easy, we will find him. He couldn't have gotten far… right?"

"… Right."

000

The worst of the weather disappeared behind the giant green transport but it was still windy and rainy. Flying below the clouds was the only chance they had of spotting Thunderbird 1 if it had come down during the storm. The ride was very unpleasant and Gordon, despite being strapped in, was holding on for dear life as Two bucked and dipped. John had reassured him that the storm was passing but it didn't feel like it.

Virgil struggled with the controls, his hands moving rapidly, seemingly of their own volition, over the control surfaces. His grimace wasn't a bit reassuring. John's hologram, ghostly in the dim light, kept encouraging Virgil to keep going until finally Virgil had had enough.

"I know, John, I know but if we crash too what good will that do? It's dark, it's still pouring rain, the ocean… well, it keeps trying to swallow us. I can't see anything when I'm high enough to avoid the waves and it's too dangerous to fly lower. I'm coming home."

Gordon heard the defeat in Virgil's voice and could see the devastation in John's face.

"…FAB, Virgil," John finally answered. "But I'm not going to stop looking."

"I know, John."

The huge transport's engines growled and they began to climb. Clouds surrounded them and then they broke out into calm air above the storm. The full moon was bright and stars twinkled completely oblivious to the havoc below. Gordon blinked and relaxed as they turned to head back to Tracy Island.

000

Silence enveloped the living room when John, Virgil and Gordon finished their tale.

Scott looked from brother to brother waiting for more. When nobody spoke, he frowned. "How'd you find me? Where'd you find me? What happened? What about all the general mayhem and running that Grandma told me about? And where did this come from?" He held up his arm exposing the tattoo.

John and Virgil exchanged looks and Virgil finally spoke up. "We're not really sure what happened to you during the storm…"

"I b-believe I can answer that," Brains announced from the entrance to his lab, interrupting Virgil. The engineer crossed the room and placed a Light Type on the table. "I've downloaded the recording from One's Black Box and isolated the period in question. Shall we take a look?"

Alan sighed loudly. "What a question. Yes! Let's look!"

"Hush, Alan, don't be rude," Grandma Tracy admonished him with a light smack on the head. Alan winced but settled down.

Brains ignored him and activated the projector. A blue, ghostly Scott took shape…

000

"Thunderbird Five from Thunderbird One. John? Can you plot me a course out of this mess? Preferably above it?" Scott adjusted his harness and fired up Thunderbird One's boosters. His hands flitted across the dashboard while he talked to John.

"FAB, Thunderbird One. Course plotted and sent. Weather looks bad all the way to Tracy Island but you should have a fairly smooth ride."

"I hope so, Thunderbird Five. It's about time something went smoothly." He grinned at John's hologram. "I'm really looking forward to a hot shower and a soft bed." He pushed his muddy and sodden hair away from his forehead.

"I see. Have a good flight."

"Thanks, John." He launched straight up and then turned into the wind, wings fully extended, and quickly gained altitude. It was rough. His hands worked constantly to keep his 'Bird climbing. A sudden downdraft made all his work futile and he had to redo it all. His face was calm but frustration was clear in his posture.

"Ugh, Thunderbird Five, John, are you sure this is the best way out of this weather?"

There was a brief pause as John's hologram recalculated conditions. "Scott, I'm sending you new bearings. Thunderstorm cells have started popping around you. It's going to get rough. I'm grounding Virgil and Gordon until the front has passed."

Scott nodded too busy to reply. Another downdraft grabbed One and she dropped like a stone. Scott muttered a profanity under his breath. Lightning flashed below him and he winced involuntarily. Lightning flashed again very close. Blinking furiously to clear his vision, he fought the controls to gain some altitude, too busy to worry about the lightning.

John's hologram was now just mouthing words, the sounds of wind, rain and thunder drowning him out. Scott's attention was elsewhere. The lightning strikes interfered with his electronics. John's image to flickered in and out. A blast of bright light filled the cockpit, Scott jerked convulsively as the electrical charge went through the control levers into his body, shorting out his suit sensors and GPS. There was a brief moment of blackness as the Black Box recorder switched to back-up battery power.

When the recording resumed, John's image had disappeared, all of the cockpit readouts had vanished and Scott was sitting, blinking and shaking his head to clear his vision and shake off shocked he'd received. Only dim emergency lighting illuminated the scene.

"Thunderbird Five?" His voice sounded weak. He cleared his throat and tried again. "John? John! I've lost all power. Are you there? Respond!" He flicked switches, tapped control surfaces, and finally just pounded on the main control panel. "Shit, shit, shit," he muttered as he pushed and pulled the control levers attempting to keep his nose up. His wings were deployed so he had some lift but without power, One would very soon plummet to the ground.

Below him, he could see the ocean growing closer, the waves reaching up for him. There was nothing more he could do but hold on and hope he stayed afloat long enough to be found if the impact didn't kill him. Suddenly, the ocean vanished and a rocky beach took its place. He groaned. This was going to hurt. He made one last attempt to raise One's nose before he hit solid ground. One skidded for what seemed like forever before it flipped over and came to a rest against a rocky cliff. Scott slammed forward against his restraints and then was slammed backwards, his head striking his seat.

000

Everyone sat in stunned silence for a moment. Brains stopped the recording and sat back. Scott grimaced and rubbed his sore head.

Finally, Alan let out a loud whoosh. "Whoa! That was intense." There were nods of agreement. "So… what happened next?"

"There are a few more minutes and I took the liberty to translate it using John's

He reactivated the projector and Scott's image reappeared. He was still unconscious. It was quiet for a few seconds and then unintelligible voices were heard and then faint banging. Two large figures blocked the heavily overcast sky that was visible through the cracked cockpit cover. Now the voices were louder and more intelligible.

"If he's alive, the gods have answered our prayers."

The other man snorted. "I'd say it was the weather that answered our prayers. But we don't know if he's alive so it's a little early to be praising anybody."

The first voice sounded askance. "You're questioning the gods?"

More chuckles and then the men were prying at the cover. "Questioning is good."

The compromised cover cracked and gave way, showering Scott with bits of plastic. The smaller figure, bare-chested and heavily tattooed, lowered himself in and checked Scott over.

"He's alive. Help me lift him out."

The bigger man, also bare-chested and tattooed, leaned over the edge of the cockpit and helped lift Scott out. The smaller man scrambled out. He disappeared over the side of One while the larger man bodily pulled Scott the rest of the way out. They all disappeared from the camera's view. Then their voices faded with distance.

"He'll do."

"He's all we have to work with…"

000

"Well, that explains a lot," Virgil said. John nodded, while Scott blinked at them.

"It does?"

Grandma Tracy, who'd been puttering in the kitchen while listening to the story, came back to the lounge with a tray of snacks and hot coco. "Before you answer Scott's question, you all need a break. I know I'm as dry as a desert."

There were wary looks all around when she placed the tray on the coffee table but that changed to smiles when they realized the snacks weren't homemade.

"Thanks, Grandma," Virgil said taking a bite of coffee cake.

"You're welcome, hun. Scott, honey, eat something."

"I'm not very hungry, Grandma."

"At least have a cup of coco. With mini marshmallows."

Scott sighed. "You know my weaknesses." He took a cup and sipped. "It's good, Grandma."

"I know, dear." She winked at him and passed the tray over to Gordon and Alan who helped themselves before sending it around to John and Kayo. Brains waved it away and excused himself.

"There's still a lot of w…work to be done on Thunderbird One. It's b…been out of circulation too long." He disappeared down the elevator.

Scott winced at that.

"You know he'll have her up and running before you know it," Virgil said trying to comfort his brother. "Besides, nobody is clearing you to fly for at least a week and maybe longer."

"A week? Now, wait a minute." The looks he received from just about everybody changed his mind. "Okay, a week."

"Longer if you're still having headaches," Grandma added.

"Fine." He sighed. "Now explain to me why two men manhandling me out of One explains a lot."

000

Virgil wasn't asleep when John, blue and ghostly, appeared in his room. He hadn't been sleeping much over the past week. The storm had kept them busy and unable to search for Scott, which made him feel guilty which kept him awake. The heavy overcast had confounded John's search from above leaving the astronaut frustrated as well.

Virgil blinked and sat up. "John? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Virgil. In fact, something's finally gone right. I've found Scott… well, I've found Thunderbird One."

Virgil leaped out of bed and scrambled for his clothes. "Where? How? When?" He tripped and almost fell pulling on his pants. "Have you told the others?" He ran for the door before John could answer.

John's hologram followed. "I'm informing them now. You're going to need Gordon along. One doesn't look like she's going to be flying anywhere…"

"Tell him to meet me aboard Two," Virgil interrupted.

"He's on his way and I recommend cargo bay 2."

"I agree and thanks."

"Co-ordinates downloaded, ETA 30 minutes from departure."

All John got back was an acknowledging grunt as Virgil concentrated on hitting his mark on the slide to Thunderbird Two's cockpit. When Virgil's boots hit the ground and he'd slid the hatch shut, John was there waiting.

Gordon arrived a minute later and took the seat next to Virgil. "I can't believe we're finally going to rescue Scotty. Where is he?"

Virgil was busy completing the flight check and loading Bay 2 so John answered for him.

"A small island 30 minutes north of here. The storm blew him way off course after I lost contact." John sighed deeply. "I had to wait until I could do a visual search. I don't recall such a large storm lasting as long as this one."

"At least he found dry land. Man, he was lucky. All that ocean and he finds a small island."

"I, for one, am glad he was lucky," Virgil added. He could spare his brother his attention now that the coordinates were loaded. "John, any idea what we'll encounter there?"

"All I can tell is that One looks in bad shape. You'll have to check it out, but I'm afraid that it doesn't look airworthy." John sent them a picture and they both gasped.

"He survived that?" Gordon's eyes widened.

Virgil's dismay was just as obvious. "John? No evidence of Scott at all?"

"No… He's not in the cockpit and I haven't found him. There is a large heat signature on the far end of the island. I believe it's a group of humans. You can check there."

"That seems like a good place to start," Virgil replied while he developed his plan of action. "I guess we'll know in a few minutes."

000

As the island came into view, Virgil sighed quietly. "Looks like home."

Gordon nodded, gazing at the lush greenery and the rocky mountains.

Virgil flew along the shoreline, looking for Thunderbird One's crash site.

"There," Gordon shouted pointing at the long gouge that scarred the beach and left a path of destroyed trees. Nodding, Virgil set down on the beach. Gordon settled his helmet in place while Virgil shut 2 down. Then Virgil put his helmet on and activated the comm.

"We've found Thunderbird One, John. We're going to check it out now. You receiving?"

"FAB, Virgil. You're coming in loud and clear."

The brothers ran the short distance to Thunderbird 1. Skidding to a stop, they stared up at the once beautiful craft. Both grimaced and Gordon looked like he might cry.

"Oh…that is just craptastic," he sighed.

Virgil ducked under the fuselage, running his hand over the little bit of intact skin he could reach. "It's not good. Definitely not going to be flying her back."

"Thunderbirds definitely aren't go," Gordon said trying to lighten his mood. He didn't want to think about Scott being hurt or worse.

Virgil barely spared him a glance, ignoring the bad joke. He made his way to where the cockpit should've been. Normally on the underside of the fuselage, the cockpit was one third of the way up and out of their reach. Virgil paused and stared down at a pile of rocks just right for reaching it. Virgil and Gordon exchanged puzzled looks.

"Odd," Virgil commented.

"I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth." Gordon climbed up, pulling himself the rest of the way to the cockpit and peering in. "He's not here," he said dejectedly. "The cockpit cover is completely smashed. Doesn't look like that happened in the crash."

"What do you mean?" Virgil asked as he climbed up to join Gordon. "Oh, I see. Probably the same person who piled up the rocks broke in. I hope it was to save Scott."

"We can hope. There's an awful lot of blood, Virgil." Gordon gestured at the bloodied seat.

"Not surprising. He was probably knocked around pretty good." He slid back down to the rocks and then to the ground. "See what you can do to secure her for transport back to base. I'm going to look for Scott."

"Now wait a minute, Virg. You're not going to leave me here. I want to help…"

"I don't have a good feeling about this, Gordy. I…I just don't. If we have to make a quick exit, I want everything ready to go."

Gordon started to protest again but thought better of it and clamped his mouth shut. He trusted his brother's gut more than he trusted himself. With a nod, he headed back to Two.

Virgil called John. "One is wrecked and Scott's gone. Can you show me that heat signature again? I'm going to check it out."

"FAB, Virgil. Sending GPS coordinates now. Be careful."

A small map with a path marked in red appeared lit up a corner of his faceplate. "Thanks, John. I will. You know me." He got his bearings and took off in search of his missing brother.

000

The sun was topping the palm trees that covered the interior of the island. It was actually a much nicer place than Tracy Island. Natural springs everywhere and native birds and probably animals and reptiles that he couldn't see. His father had to have everything brought in to make their island habitable.

Despite the bright sunlight, there was enough deep shadow that Virgil was able to get close to the gathering of islanders without being seen. The sounds of chanting and drumming were loud enough that he'd heard it well before he got anywhere near them.

The last hundred feet he covered on his belly, slithering through damp underbrush and mud. Peering through the leaves of a plant just outside the clearing, he scanned the crowd. They were loud and boisterous but it seemed cheerful even celebratory rather than dangerous.

The crowd moved slowly across the clearing, some were dancing on the outer edges but most were looking towards the front of the parade and he followed their gazes. His eyes widened in surprise and relief. At the head of the parade was Scott. Next to Scott was a young woman. He was too far away, though, to see his brother clearly. All he could tell was that he wasn't wearing his suit.

"You getting this, John? Can you tell what they're singing and chanting?"

"Can you raise your head a little more?"

Virgil got to his knees and lifted his head to give John a better view through his helmet cam but not so high that he might be spotted. "Okay?"

"FAB." John was silent for a few moments and Virgil imagined that he could hear the tiny cam whirring as John adjusted the focus. "Running the language through the data base now," he finally responded. "I don't like the way Scott looks."

"Let me see, John," Virgil responded and a hologram of the scene including a close up of Scott appeared on his wrist. "Wow, yeah, he looks terrible."

The chanting and music grew louder. Virgil looked back at the scene. "I hope they're not planning a sacrifice."

John's image replaced Scott's and he didn't look too happy. "Nobody practices human sacrifice anymore, Virgil."

"Uh, sorry. I didn't mean it. So what is going on?"

"It's a wedding."

Virgil blinked. "A wedding… I'm afraid to ask… Who's getting married?"

John tilted his head in a 'who do you think?' way.

"Oh…god… This is getting worse and worse."

John nodded in agreement. "They've just started. There's lots of talk about gods and portents and heaven-sent fortuities so I have a feeling this is going to go on for a while. From what I can see the girl looks just about as enthusiastic as Scott which isn't very."

"Okay… And how does that help us?"

John smiled a smile that made Virgil grin and feel scared at the same time. "Here's what you're going to do…"

000

Virgil scrambled back to Gordon and the Thunderbirds as fast as he could, considering the terrain. Gordon was still getting One secured, a big job for one person, when Virgil ran up to him.

"Virgil! Did you…?" Gordon started.

"Yes, yes, we found him but we don't have a lot of time. I hope you're just about finished here because I have a feeling we're going to be making a rather hasty get away." While he brought Gordon up to date, he boarded Two and was unpacking the Jaws of Life. Climbing into the gear made him feel like he was finally accomplishing something.

Gordon stared at him for a moment and then nodded. "Yeah, Virg, she's pretty much ready to go. Anything else? Like can I help you?"

"You can help by having Two warmed up and ready to go."

Gordon's eyes widened. "You're letting me pilot Two?"

Virgil had to chuckle. "Yeah. How about that?" He stretched both arms out and smacked the claws together over his head. "Do I look God-like to you?"

"What? God-like? What?"

Virgil spared him another grin and jumped to the ground. "Like I said, be ready."

"FAB, Virgil." Gordon watched him go shaking his head in confusion.

000

The return trip proved to be much easier. He didn't bother being stealthy since it was impossible in the Jaws of Life. There wasn't anything stealthy about mechanical body armor. He forced his way through the undergrowth, breaking branches, uprooting anything that go in his way and making as much noise as he could.

He was nearly there when holographic John reappeared. Words appeared in Virgil's heads-up display. It all looked like nonsense to him. "What is that?"

"it's a phonetic version of their language. You're going to read it out loud with your speaker set to the highest volume available. You're going to act like a god and you're going to mean it."

"Do I want to know what I'm saying?"

John smirked. "Not really. Just make it loud and god-like."

"FAB…" Virgil took a deep breath and strode forward. He casually knocked two palm trees aside and entered the clearing, arms over his head. He added to the spectacle by turning on his LED and the smaller lights lining his helmet. He hoped he looked properly god-like and fearsome because he felt ridiculous.

The people he'd interrupted did not, however, think he looked ridiculous. They all turned as one to stare at Virgil. Virgil stared back, surprised by the reaction.

He blinked and cleared his throat. "Uhhhh…" The sound boomed and the crowd jumped.

"You'd better start, Virg, now that you've gotten their attention. The priest has them well primed. He's been telling them about how the gods sent the stranger to them from the sky."

Virgil nodded and began reading. His words boomed out over the crowd and they backed away from him. He grabbed one of the trees he'd knocked down and held it over his head as he made his way towards Scott and his bride. The girl, who appeared relieved that the ceremony was being interrupted, ducked behind Scott and ran into the crowd. Scott remained on the platform, weaving slightly back and forth as he tried to stay upright.

The priest shouted at the girl and then at the crowd but couldn't make himself heard above Virgil's voice and the rising shouts from the crowd. He reached for Scott who merely stared, glassy eyed, at nothing. Virgil tossed the tree away and stomped in their direction. He was done trying to distract the crowd with words, Scott was within reach and he wasn't going to let this crazy man have him.

A hit from the exo-suit could kill a man, but Virgil was expert in its use. He could be as strong as an elephant or as gentle as a lamb. Even though he wanted to use his full strength on the man, he didn't. He gently plucked him up and set him aside. The priest gaped and started to scream but when he wasn't harmed, he frowned.

Virgil picked up Scott and turned to leave. The crowd hadn't dispersed as, no doubt, John had expected. Instead they rumbled angrily. He didn't want to hurt anybody but if they surrounded him, he didn't know what else he could do. And close up, Scott looked even worse. He was pale and bruised, his hair caked with blood, his bare skin warm to the touch and even though he appeared to be awake, he seemed unaware of what was happening. _Oh, man, Scotty, you are a mess,_ he thought.

Behind him, the priest was shrieking, agitating the crowd even more. John popped up again.

"Uh, Virg, I have a suggestion…"

Virgil nodded looking up from Scott. "And what would that be?"

"Run!"

"Run? Really? That's your suggestion?"

"I'm serious, Virgil. That guy is pretty sure you're not a god from the sky and he's informing them of that fact. If they catch you, they can overpower you if there're enough of them."

Virgil turned to look back and wished he hadn't. "Holy Shit! I mean, FAB, John."

Running in the Jaws of Life was tough but with enough motivation, Virgil could get up some good speed and boy, was he motivated. A rock hit the back of the suit. A few more flew past his head. He shielded Scott as best as he could. Scott was beat up enough without adding being hit by rocks thrown by an angry mob. He thumped along the path he'd made coming out. It helped him but it also helped his pursuers though the narrow path limited them to two abreast.

He managed to gain some ground and called Gordon. "I hope you're ready to launch."

"Ready to go here, Virg." He blinked when another rock hit Virgil. "What is going on?"

"No time to explain. That hatch better be open because I'm coming aboard one way or another."

"FAB, Virg. It's open and I'm ready to launch as soon as you're aboard. Magnetic grapples are ready to be deployed to grab One."

"Great, Gordon. I owe you a big one."

"A good explanation will be just fine, Virg… I see you. And a huge, angry mob." He couldn't help but grin. "This is going to be a great story."

He closed the hatch as soon as he was sure Virgil was aboard and launched straight up. The mob scrambled out of the way. Half of them vanished into the jungle while the other half stared in disbelief.

Gordon maneuvered Two over One and released the grapples. He latched onto the damaged ship and pulled her up securing her to the giant green aircraft's belly. With a flick of his wrist, they roared away.

Virgil gently lowered Scott to one of the medical berths and covered him with a blanket.

"How's he look?" Gordon called back.

"Not so good. Once he's cleaned up, we'll be able to tell better." Virgil removed the exo-suit and left it resting on the deck. It was going to need a thorough going over once they got back. "But I'm going to hazard a guess that he's got at least a concussion. And a tattoo…"

"What did you say, Virg? I thought I heard you say tattoo."

"I did. Quite a beaut it is, too. Covers his entire upper arm. Looks pretty fresh. He's going to flip when he sees it." He hadn't removed his helmet yet and John appeared on his HUD.

"I've cross-referenced the design to the data base I have on those islanders. It's basically his marriage vows. With the added specification that he is the Sky God's chosen one. So he's extra special. I really don't understand why the bride looked so upset. Who wouldn't want a Sky God for a husband?"

Virgil shook his head. "Probably someone who didn't ask to be married in the first place." Virgil snorted softly. "He's going to be insufferable when he learns about this."

Gordon laughed. "He's always been insufferable."

Virgil made sure Scott was secure before he removed his helmet and sat in the co-pilot's seat. He sighed and leaned back.

"You want to take over?" Gordon asked.

"No, not yet. I'm beat. I never want to run in the Jaws of Life again. I'm going to be sore for a month."

Gordon scoffed. "You'll be in the weight room tomorrow morning."

Virgil smirked at him before laying his head back and closing his eyes.

000

"Wow!" was all that Alan could say for a few moments as Virgil finished the story.

There were nods all around while Scott digested everything in silence. Finally he nodded. "Thanks, fellas, for saving my as…sorry, Grandma, for saving my life. And for saving my ship."

"No, problem, Scotty." Virgil grinned at him.

Scott was silent again, thoughtful. He studied the tattoo again. "Sky God, huh? Maybe I'll keep it."


End file.
